Disturbing audio recordings have emerged of Travis Decker, a fugitive wanted for the suspected triple murder of his three young daughters. Just months before the alleged killings, Decker insisted he had never engaged in any “unsafe” behavior with his daughters, despite his declining mental health and unstable living situation.

The audio, recorded during a September 2024 custody hearing, captures Decker pleading with a family court judge for increased access to his girls. He states, “Every time I’ve had the girls, we’ve been at campsites and national forests. We’ve never done anything unsafe or that I wouldn’t want to do myself.” The police found the bodies of Olivia, 5, Evelyn, 8, and Paityn, 9, near Rock Island Campground with plastic bags over their heads and zip ties around their wrists, close to Decker’s abandoned truck.

Despite an intensive manhunt, Decker remains at large. The custody hearing came after a judge awarded the girls’ mother, Whitney Decker, near-full custody. Concerns about Decker’s mental health, homelessness, and unstable environment led to restrictions on his visitation rights. He acknowledged his living conditions—living between an RV and military accommodations—were not ideal for children and expressed remorse, noting his financial struggles after leaving the National Guard.

In the recording, Decker claims, “I’ve never put my daughters at risk; we only camp at popular sites that are often booked out.” He also expressed regret about his current circumstances, stating, “When I left the National Guard, I was earning $86,000 annually; now I make about $38,000. It’s hard starting over without support.”

Judge warned Decker that his environment was “not stable” for the children. Authorities continue their search for him as the Wenatchee community struggles to process the tragedy that has shocked the small town nearly three weeks after the girls’ bodies were discovered.

“This is beyond a nightmare. It reminds us to support and look out for each other in difficult times,” said the town’s mayor.